Green Day's "American Idiot" Rocks the Landmark

The musical "American Idiot" took a now familiar route to the stage. The celebrated punk rock group Green Day wrote the recorded version as a concept album with the thought that like the Who's "Tommy" and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" the music could support a theatrical incarnation. Green Day frontman Billy Joe Armstrong and director Michael Mayer reshaped the material into a musical which opened on Broadway in 2010. Highlighted by bravura performances and stunning staging, "American Idiot," exploded onto the Landmark Theatre stage for one night as part of the Famous Artists Broadway Theatre Series.

"American Idiot" wears its loudly beating little heart on its sleeve, with a narrative as old as parable of the prodigal son. The show follows three disaffected teens trapped in suburbia in the middle of the George W. Bush years. We watch naive optimism of youth disappear as each of the three enters his own nightmare. Jimmy (Jared Nepute), Will (Casey' O'Farrell) and Tunney (Dan Tracy) plan to leave the stultifying surroundings and take off to the city, but life interferes as Will learns his girlfriend Heather (Mariah MacFarlane) is pregnant and stays behind. Would-be desperado Johnny and Tunney begin their adventure with high hopes, but after a bout with depression, Tunney enlists in the army, leaving Johnny to explore the metropolis by himself. Captivated by glimpses of a girl he calls Whatsername (Olivia Puckett), he is inspired to wander the streets, occasioning the hit "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams." As he searches for her, he finds St.Jimmy (Carson Higgins), his destructive alter ego, who introduces him to heroin.

Exploiting the frustrations of contemporary culture, "American Idiot" begins with George W. Bush's now famous post 9/11, "If you're not with us, you're against us." The scenic design, backed by a wall of TV screens, captures the confusion and dazzle of American media as bits of news whiz by, along with flashes of familiar advertisements and game shows. The frenetically choreographed ensemble functions much as the ancient Greek chorus, driving the story along a familiar, but compelling route.

In "American Idiot" emotions run high, but not very deep. The narrative line is thin. Johnny, Will, and Tunney are angry at the cards they've been dealt by 21st century America, but they easily fall into stereotypical traps, and we never really know Heather or Whatsername because the female characters are really all facets of male fantasies.

For the stage, the story was amplified and the album's songs are supplemented by other Green Day tunes. A rock opera in the tradition of "Tommy," "American Idiot" is nearly sung through. The only spoken words are snatches of letters Johnny sends his mother that set at timeline for the action. The driving musical score is sprinkled gentler moments, including the lyrical "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and the rueful "21 Guns." However, "American Idiot" is performed at both volume and the intensity of a rock concert, and at the Landmark some lyrics were obliterated by the accomplished onstage band. For this reason, plot points are a little slippery to those not familiar with the album, but the dazzling staging and dynamic choreography carry us happily along on the journey.

The DetailsWhat: "American Idiot," presented by Famous Artists Broadway Theater Series at the Landmark Theatre.When seen: Wednesday, February 26, 2014.Where:The Landmark Theatre, 362 South Salina Street SyracuseLength: 95 minutes. The show is performed without an intermission.Attendance Near capacity. Not surprisingly, the audience skewed bit younger than the usual Central New York theater crowd.Performs through: "American Idiot" played for one night only. Family Guide: Strong language and mature themes wrapped in punk rock. Information: (315) 475-7980, www.FamousArtistsBroadway.com